1. Field of the Invention
This invention is directed to glass for use in a vehicle, such as an automobile, a sport utility vehicle, a van or mini-van, or one of a multitude of other types of vehicles. The vehicle glass of the instant invention is intended to be fixed to the vehicle or a window frame in a vehicle, as opposed to a door glass which rolls up and down. The invention is more particularly directed to a vehicle glass having an edge angled back toward an inner surface of the glass.
2. Description of the Related Art
In prior art vehicles, glass used in windows for rear quarter windows or rear windshield (backlight) applications were considered to be fixed windows, for example, in a station wagon or sport utility vehicle, the rear quarter window is fixed and does not open. In station wagons and sport utility vehicles, the rear windshield is part of the rear hatch. In this case, the rear windshield is either fixed to the hatch itself, and is not openable separate from the hatch, or is fixed to a frame inside the hatch to enable it to open separately from the hatch. In any of the above cases, the window is at least fixed to a frame. This is to be distinguished from windows in a door of a vehicle which roll up and down along a track. In the above type of fixed window, the edge of the window glass is typical ground to a rounded edge, having a radius equal to one half of the thickness of the window glass. Thus, in such a type of fixed window glass, which does not have a molding surrounding the edge, a large grinding area is visible along the edge, and additionally a large glass-to-body gap is presented.
In view of the above-described disadvantages of the vehicle glass used in a fixed window of a vehicle, the instant invention provides a vehicle glass with an angled edge which overcomes such deficiencies. More specifically, the vehicle glass in accordance with the instant invention has an edge which is angled from the front or outer surface to the back or inner surface. In other words, the edge is angled rearwardly and inwardly (toward the center of the glass) in order to provide an outer surface which has less visible grinding area along the edge (since the grinding radius is smaller than in the prior art) and also reduces the glass-to-body gap to improve the edge finish and the appearance of the vehicle glass.
Thus, a vehicle glass with an angled edge, in accordance with the instant invention, is able to have a smaller glass-to-body gap, because of the smaller radius on the outer corner near the outer surface of the glass. Thus, a vehicle glass fabricated in accordance with the instant invention provides for a significantly improved appearance of the edge of the glass itself, and of the glass/body combination, when compared with the prior art edge.
A vehicle glass in accordance with the instant invention has an outer surface and an inner surface opposing the outer surface and generally parallel therewith. A circumferential edge joins the inner or outer surfaces wherein the edge has at least, in part, a generally planar portion connected to outer surface by an outer corner and connected to the inner surface by an inner corner. Furthermore, the planar portion is disposed in an acute angle with respect to the outer surface.
Furthermore, another vehicle glass in accordance with the instant invention includes an outer surface and an inner surface opposing the outer surface and generally parallel therewith. A circumferential edge joins the inner and outer surfaces, wherein the edge has at least, in part, a generally planar portion connected to the outer surface by an outer corner and connected to an inner surface by an inner corner. Furthermore, the outer corner has a radius less than one half of the thickness of the glass and the planar portion extends rearwardly, toward the inner surface, and inwardly, toward a center of the glass.
Additionally, still another vehicle glass in accordance with the instant invention has an outer surface, and an inner surface opposing the outer surface and generally parallel therewith. A circumferential edge joins the inner or outer surfaces, wherein the edge includes an outer corner connecting the edge to the outer surface and an inner corner connecting the edge to the inner surface. The outer corner has a radius less than half of the thickness of the glass, and the edge extends rearwardly, toward the inner surface, and inwardly, toward a center of the glass.
It is an object to this invention to provide a vehicle glass to be used in a fixed application, such as a rear quarter glass or rear windshield glass, in which the visible grinding area on the edge of the glass is reduced, and also in which the glass-to-body gap is reduced, with regard to the prior art.